When I was
a teenager, I devoured comic books ... I haven’t spent much time with those stories or
characters for years, but Know Theatre’s production of Hearts Like Fists took me back to the days of two-dimensional
characters, clear delineation between good and evil and lots of slam-bam
action.

Local comic book writer Chad Lambert channels his love for WKRP in Cincinnati into a new book

For those too young to remember, WKRP in Cincinnati
was a TV show set in the fictional universe of Cincinnati radio
(emphasis on the word fictional), yet it was based on actual radio
follies from creator Hugh Wilson’s stint in Atlanta radio.

Tony Moore and friends save the day by giving Cincinnati the comic con they deserve

Comic book conventions have exploded in
recent years (e.g., the monolithic San Diego Comic-Con) but they’ve also
lost touch with what a comic convention should be, forfeiting the
artistry of graphic novels to instead concentrate on a tumescent number
of celebrity guests.

You Are My Superhero, opening
Sunday at Dayton Art Institute (DAI), is here to rescue art lovers from
the summer blahs. The difference starts at the door, where there’s $2
off for wearing a superhero costume.

A quick look at the upcoming movies based on comic books

This week is a busy one for comic book movies. With The Avengers opening up today, all the
attention has been on Marvel Comics. But, not to be outdone, DC Comics and Warner
Bros. released a new trailer to The Dark
Knight Rises. On top of that, it is Free Comic Book Day on Saturday.
The new trailer for the next Batman movie is two minutes of pure
excitement for fans of the Christopher Nolan trilogy. The Dark Knight Rises
will be the last in the Nolan trilogy, and by judging from how the stakes were
continuously raised on Gotham City in his first two films, this one should be a
beautiful ending to Bruce Wayne’s Batman. That is, until someone else gets a hold
of the cash cow franchise.[Read tt stern-enzi's take on The Avengers here.]
Despite releasing the trailer, DC is taking a back seat to Marvel. For
years Marvel has had better movies than DC, with the exception of Nolan’s
Batman, and recently the former has had a string of successful hits. This past
year along saw Thor and Captain America: The First Avenger, two
widely popular characters that Marvel needed to establish before going ahead
with The Avengers.
DC has tried to branch out from Batman and Superman, but most of their
efforts have resulted in ridiculed movies. The last Superman movie was terrible,
but a new one is still in the works. Last year Green Lantern came out to mixed emotions from fans. Ryan Reynolds
was surprisingly good; it was everything else that fell short in the movie.
Weak villains and missed opportunities were the downfall of Green Lantern, but that is a whole other story. I will say that it was a decent attempt to start the push toward a
Justice League movie.
In a way, Marvel wins the movie race because they are the first to
release a movie based on their group of high profile characters. According to
MovieTickets.com the pre-sale ticket numbers suggest that this movie is going
to be bigger than the two Iron Man
movies, Thor and Captain America. With sequels in line for the Captain, Thor and
Iron Man, Marvel is going to be sitting pretty for the next few years.
This summer is going to be a great one for comic book fans. Not only is
The Avengers opening up the summer
blockbuster season, but The Dark Knight
Rises releases July 20 and The
Amazing Spider-Man on July 3. The third Men
in Black movie comes out in a few weeks on May 25.

In addition to Cinco de Mayo and Derby Day, the next couple days bring a ton of events and activities. Saddle up, grab some tequila and get out there this weekend!Essex
Studios blossom this weekend for the galleries’ spring Art Walk, BLOOM.
The space has been transformed with a thousand origami flowers, yarn gardens by
the Cincinnati BombShells and color-coded pathways. As always, more than 100
artists’ work will be on view as guests eat and drink their way through the
studios. The art walk runs 6-11 p.m. Friday and Saturday.
Saturday
is Clay Alliance’s annual pottery fair at DeSales Corner. Peruse decorative and
functional pottery pieces, meet local artists and get supplies to work with
clay on your self. Hourly raffles and live music round out the day. The 12th
annual fair takes place 11 a.m.-5 p.m., rain or shine.
The first Saturday of May happens to be Cinco De Mayo this
year, but it’s also Free Comic Book Day: once a year, comic/specialty book
shops across North America offer free publications to all guests. Find a nearby
participating store here. Many store offer additional in-store events and
promotions; Up Up & Away in Cheviot welcomes The Walking Dead co-creator and original artist Tony Moore.
Crafty Supermarket
is back! Making its home at the Clifton Cultural Arts Center, the spring show
brings more than 50 indie, subversive crafters from across the city and country
to sell their funky, functional handmade goods. Just in time for Mother’s Day,
shoppers will find unique apparel and accessories, home goods, artwork and more
goodies. Fuel your shopping with delicious food and coffee from local vendors
while a PROJECTMILL DJ keeps you groovin’. Show up early to nab a coveted swag
bag — every year, shoppers line up around the corner of Clifton Avenue in hopes
of being one of the first 100 who get a bag. The market is open 11 a.m.-6 p.m.
and admission is free.
Cinco
de Mayo is more popular in the U.S. than Mexico, but since when do we let
historical inaccuracies stand in the way of a good drinking holiday? Nearly
every bar and restaurant participates in some capacity, but we’ve selected a
few to host our annual Cantina Crawl. Here’s our schedule:
5
p.m. El Coyote
5:45
p.m. Pirates Cove
6:30
p.m. Tostado’s Grill
7:15
p.m. MLT’s
8
p.m. Cactus Pear (Clifton)
8:30
p.m. Nada
9
p.m. Bakersfield
Join our roving squad of
senoritas and “Seen on the Scene” photographers as they travel from place to
place with more prizes than you can throw a maraca at.
Prom
is a rite of passage many, but often LGBTQ kids don’t feel comfortable at
school dances because of bullies and expectations about dress and dates. The Gay,
Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN) Greater Cincinnati provides a
welcoming environment for these individuals at their annual GLSEN Prom Saturday.
Come to the Freedom Center for two events in one: those under 21 are invited to
"dress as you want, bring who you want, and love as you
want.” In a separate area of the center the over 21 crowd, who maybe didn’t
get to experience a prom of their own, can enjoy dinner, drinks and dancing for
$65. Those wanting to attend post-dinner can come after 9 p.m. for a
discounted price. As always, kids are welcome free of charge with early
registration. All proceeds support the local GLSEN chapter.
Check out Stage Door for this weekend's theater offerings, our music blog for a live show lineup and our To Do page for more events, art shows, performances and more this weekend.And
don’t forget to check out the "supermoon"
Saturday — the biggest full moon of the year will peak around 11:30 p.m.
tomorrow.